Earlier this month, we told you about multiple hacks that you could try with your Spotlight Search -- but the MacBook in itself is full of clever features that you can utilise to make your work easier. Regular Mac users already know how their device is full of easter eggs that they more often than not stumble upon accidentally! However, if you're new to the device, The Bridge Chronicle will acquaint you to some of Apple's best-kept secrets.
Emoji keyboard
You knew your MacBook had a pretty functional keyboard, but did you know that it also has a built-in emoji keyboard -- just like your phone? If you're using anything beginning from Mac OS X, you can simply press the Ctrl + ⌘ + Space. You will find your emoji keyboard pop up on your screen, and you can then scroll amid all the categories to use the one you'd like. Emailing just got a lot more fun!
Type in the Apple logo
On any Apple device, you have a feature that allows you to type in the Apple logo by pressing Option + Shift + K. However it is to note that you will not be able to see this logo on your Windows or Linux devices. While nobody knows why Apple chose the letter 'K' for the shortcut, theories floating about on the internet have various speculations! Some also speak about how the 'K' actually represents the skeleton of the 'Apple' logo. Whether or not that's true, we're definitely intrigued!
Take better screenshots
We already knew how ⌘ + Shift + 4 turns the cursor into a crosshair and allows us to take a screenshot. But did you know about the other (perhaps, even more convenient!) options that you could use to capture your screen? Using ⌘ + Shift + 3 can immediately take a screenshot, whereas ⌘ + Shift + 5 will summon a panel to your screen that allows you to either capture the screen, or a part of it. Additionally, if you're using the MacBook Pro, you can also take a 'screenshot' of your touch-bar by hitting ⌘ + Shift + 6.
Speech to text conversion
If you think this feature restricted to your smartphone -- you're wrong! For those using their MacBook for work every day, having a speech to text conversion option can be helpful. However, you may have to enable this on your Mac before trying it out. You can switch it on after you choose System Preferences, click on 'Keyboard' and switch on the 'Dictation' option. Viola! You can now use speech to type in your excruciatingly long assignments without using your keyboard. Additional tip: You may also turn on enhanced dictation if you want to turn your text to bold, italics or enable other commands such as copy, paste, among others.
Find your Apple devices
If you've been using the iPhone, you probably already know about the 'Find my iPhone' feature that helps you locate your missing device. But you can also do this on your MacBook. All you have to do is open your System Preferences and click on the iCloud icon. You will find 'Find my Mac' in the list of devices under the iCloud tab. After you grant the required permissions to the application, you'll be prompted to log in to your iCloud id. Once you select your device from the dropdown menu, you will be able to play sounds on your MacBook and locate it. However, make sure you lock your MacBook, so that no one can log in and track your access code!
